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For wounds on the back half of the body put the t-shirt on backwards with the tail going through the head hole and the rear legs going through the arm holes. If you can identify the cause and eliminate it the behavior may gradually go away on its own.
If you use a detangling spray only purchase a product made for cats.
How to get my cat to stop pulling his hair out. Once youve identified why your cat is pulling hair out you can treat the problem and prevent it from recurring. If your cat is chewing on her skin or pulling out her hair because of parasites like fleas medicated flea drops given on a regular basis will not only kill existing fleas but can prevent new bugs from settling in on your felines furry body. Once you find whats causing the problem and treat it you should find your cat stops pulling her fur out.
Colloidal silver can be very effective in soothing irritations. Its antibacterial and anti-fungal to support healthy skin. Some cats with psychogenic alopecia may also respond to chlorpheniramine an antihistamine or systemic glucocorticoids.
I know that your cat hates being medicated and I understand your concern about giving medication to cats unless absolutely necessary. One of my cats licks herself raw and Ive got a Feliway plug-in which seems to help some. In Kanoes case were not sure if its anxiety or allergies yet.
The Feliway might help though. Its available online should be at Petsmart or perhaps through your. Of course grooming is soothing to cats.
Older cats may begin licking and pulling fur out from areas where they experience arthritis pain. If your elderly cat is pulling fur out around its legs and thighs arthritis may be the cause. Senior cats are more likely to develop hyperthyroidism than younger cats.
How to Stop the Overgrooming. Youll need a veterinarian to rule out any medical conditions and confirm the diagnosis of psychogenic alopecia. In the meantime try to figure out the reason your cat is feeling anxious.
If you can identify the cause and eliminate it the behavior may gradually go away on its own. Remove it or limit your cats exposure to it if possible. Offer him some new toys to help distract him from his anxiety and spend some time playing with him to tire him out.
Feliway an artificial calming pheromone for cats can help encourage relaxation and your vet can prescribe medication in extreme cases. An itchy cat may respond by scratching but in other cats itchiness can manifest as hair pulling and licking. Pinpointing the cause of the itch however can be a challenge.
Most veterinarians start by performing a physical examination which includes looking for external parasites such as fleas mites or lice. When youre a cat owner youre used to dealing with cat hair – using a lint roller to get it off your dark clothes vacuuming it off of your sofa even picking it out of your food on occasion. Unless you have a hairless breed such as a Sphynx theres a certain amount of natural hair loss that you should expect.
For wounds on the back half of the body put the t-shirt on backwards with the tail going through the head hole and the rear legs going through the arm holes. You may have to use a strip of sticky tape to tape the bottom hem of the t-shirt to the cat to prevent the shirt from slipping. Some cats detest clothing so this may not work.
For example if your cat is licking or chewing your hair because it is stressed out by a cat it sees out the back window pull the blind on that window so that your cat no longer sees. Using a cat shampoo with natural ingredients regular bathing is a great at-home treatment for cat hair loss and can get rid of your cats excess hair. This reduces shedding and will also keep them from over-grooming certain areas.
Add chamomile to your cats bath to promote healthy skin and reduce dandruff from dry skin. The addition of nettle can also inspire healthy fur and skin. Preventing Matted Cat Hair.
The best way to prevent mats from forming too frequently is to brush your cat regularly. To avoid pulling the skin look for knots on your cats fur and gently detangle it with your fingers and then with a mat comb for cats. If you use a detangling spray only purchase a product made for cats.
Make a clean cut and try not to pull the hair while cutting. Give your kitty a small treat and praise it for its patience. Move the scissors over half an inch or so and cut again.
Your veterinarian can prescribe a miticide to rid your feline friends of mites and a monthly flea medication to kill the fleas so he will stop pulling his hair out. Or he may check your cats coat for other itch-causing bugs like lice which can also be treated with topical medications. Depending on the cause a behaviorist may suggest reintroducing pets in the household to each other and building more positive associations between them providing a more consistent routine or going back to the cats previous routine if that is what has changed or making the cats environment more interesting with food puzzles a window perch or tall.
Brush your cat regularly to keep cat hair under control. Photography by Chayut Thanaponchoochoung Shutterstock. Every day my husband Mark and I brush our cats who have long cottony awn-hair.
Wear perfume on your hands so that you will realize when your hand is going up to pull out your hair. Name the hairs you want to pull out. It sounds silly but for some it works.
Spend less time in the areas of your house that you pull in Keep a journal of your feelings Find a hair that is laying around your house and stare at it daily. In some cases hair-pulling occurs due to medical factors such as allergies skin infections or parasite infestation. Your cat could be experiencing an itchy or irritating feeling in his skin causing him to lick chew and yank out the hair in the area in a futile attempt to alleviate the maddening itch.
23 related questions found. Less common manifestations of food allergy in cats include gastrointestinal symptoms. The mean age of onset of food allergy in cats has been reported to be 4-5 years of age.
When medical causes of feline licking and hair pulling are ruled out you may want to initiate behavioral therapies before moving onto psychogenic drugs.